Superconducting hydrides on a quantum landscape

TL;DR

This paper discusses how quantum fluctuations influence the stability and properties of superconducting hydrides, suggesting that including these effects in calculations could lead to discovering high-temperature superconductors at lower pressures, possibly even ambient conditions.

Contribution

It highlights the importance of considering ionic quantum fluctuations in first-principles predictions of hydrides, opening new avenues for low-pressure high-temperature superconductors.

Findings

Quantum fluctuations stabilize hydrides at lower pressures.

Including quantum effects improves predictive accuracy.

Potential for ambient-pressure high-temperature superconductivity.

Abstract

Reaching superconductivity at ambient conditions is one of the biggest scientific dreams. The discoveries in the last few years at high pressures place hydrogen-based compounds as the best candidates for making it true. As the recent history shows, first-principles calculations are expected to continue guiding the experimental quest in the right track in the coming years. Considering that ionic quantum fluctuations largely affect the structural and vibrational properties of superconducting hydrides, in many cases making them stable at much lower pressures than expected, it will be crucial to include such effects on the future ab initio predictions. The prospects for low-pressure high critical-temperature compounds are wide open, even at ambient pressure.